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CU-Boulder chancellor: Tuition at its 'breaking point'

Phil DiStefano outlined goals and challenges in 'State of the Campus' address

By Sarah Kuta, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
10/15/2013 07:42:37 PM MDT

Updated:
10/15/2013 07:45:58 PM MDT

Phil DiStefano (University of Colorado)

Tuition is reaching its "breaking point" at the University of Colorado's Boulder campus, says CU-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano.

During his fifth annual "State of the Campus" speech on Tuesday morning, DiStefano described the main challenges the university faces, including how to deal with rapidly declining state funding without raising tuition. He also recapped events and milestones from the last year on the Boulder campus.

DiStefano described the gloomy outlook for higher education as state and federal funding continues to decline, but said the university is coming up with new ways to grow revenue "creatively."

"We are poised to meet these times because we have a well-documented tradition of innovation at CU-Boulder," he said.

CU spokesman Bronson Hilliard said DiStefano's comment about tuition reaching a breaking point doesn't mean the university won't raise tuition in the future. Hilliard said non-resident tuition has reached "the ceiling on what the market can bear," so the university has to find other ways to increase revenue while also cutting costs.

"We are hitting the uppermost limits of what we can reasonably charge," Hilliard said. "That model we used to have years ago where if the state reduced its contribution we could increase tuition to make up for it is not going to be the thing that carries us too much farther forward."

In front of a packed Glenn Miller Ballroom in Boulder, DiStefano described some of the new revenue sources the university has been pursuing. Recruiting more international students, creating research partnerships with the private sector and aggressively pursuing federal research dollars are all ways the university has been dealing with reductions in state and federal funding, DiStefano said during his 45-minute speech.

DiStefano also described the university's response to flooding in Boulder earlier this fall, the hiring of new athletic director Rick George and the "unprecedented" job and internship opportunities for CU students and graduates.

Last year, the university posted 8,107 job opportunities for students and graduates, double the number from before the recession, he said.

DiStefano also talked about managing the university's reputation by using consistent messaging across areas of campus and by engaging more CU alumni.

He also outlined a new goal for the university's six-year graduation rate. The chancellor set out a plan for CU's six-year graduation rate to reach 80 percent in 2020, up from 68 percent this year.

"It is imperative that, if we are to succeed as a top-notch university in the 21st century, we deliver on the promise of a valuable and timely degree to all of our students," DiStefano said.

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